On 26 August Polatsk City Court considered the case against Valerty Shchukin, well-known human rights activist and journalist, activist of the democratic coalition “Free Belarus”. He is charged with violation of Article No. 156 of the Code of Administrative Violations, disorderly conduct.

According to a recent court decision, on 29 July V. Shchukin was evicted from the room of a Polatsk hostel. At present he has to spend nights at a waiting room of Polatsk railway station. That’s why the duty policemen composed a report about administrative violation, as he slept in the waiting room, having put his legs on a bench.

During the trial the accused asked the police to show him the normative act that qualified rest on a bench as disorderly conduct. The police failed to show the railway Statute with such a norm. The trial will continue on 29 August.

Commenting the trial results to the press center of Charter’97 the human rights activist stated that the trial postponement could have only one reasons – the authorities were going to give him 10 days of jail, as on 7 September Polatsk would celebrate the Day of Belarusian Writing and Aliaksandr Lukashennka would be present. At the last year celebration the police didn’t let Valery Shchukin to the square where Aliaksandr Lukashenka was. They detained him for several hours, saying he looked like a wanted criminal. This year, Shchukin thinks, the authorities decided to use another technique.